Two Faced Lovers
by Dawning Dusk
Summary: Recently "Dawning Snippets". He gave his heart and his love to Nero. But there's a hungry man-eater after it. This could get messy. DantexNero
1. Birthday

**This is just a happy little one-shot I put up as my pet's description on Subeta. I have to say, it was pretty fun to write.**

It was just another boring day at the office. Another, dreadfully boring day.

He'd been living with Dante for a few months now, and was used to his partner's spontaneous behavior. However, this most recent episode deserved a round of applause.

_The morning had started as any other, the phone ringing off the hook, waking up Nero. He took the calls and nearly beat in the door to Dante's room in an effort to wake the elder slayer. When that didn't work, he kicked the door in and drew Blue Rose._

_Patty was so used to the noise, she didn't wake up when she heard the gunfire erupt from Dante's room and the curses that followed. She simply returned to her cleaning._

_A smug Nero soon descended the stairs, holstering Blue Rose, "Good morning, Patty."_

_"Good morning, Nero," she smiled, "Are you cooking breakfast again?"_

_The boy smiled at the young child. They were very much alike. They were both orphans, and they both had to put up with Dante. "I was going to. Was there something in particular you wanted?"_

_"Pizza!" came Dante's muffled demand, but a groan followed. Nero's blue eyes rolled skyward._

_"Pancakes?" Patty asked hopefully, then grinned as Nero nodded._

_Soon, the scent filled the house and Dante hobbled down stairs, rubbing his chest no doubt where Nero had shot him._

_"Hey there, Patty," Dante said, ruffling her hair as he walked by. She pouted a bit. Dante laughed at the look on her face, "Careful. Your face could freeze like that."_

_Dante continued to the kitchen, watching as Nero flipped the pancakes expertly, flinging them in the air and catching them in the pan. A evil smirk took Dante's face and he moved closer._

_"Touch me and I hit you with the pan," Nero warned, not even turning, "If I'm lucky, it'll burn to your face."_

_"Touchy," Dante grinned, but backed off, seating himself at the table. The elder hunter was thankful Nero was living with him in all honesty. It kept the shop clean after Patty left. Mostly because if Dante made a mess and didn't clean it, Nero would do something to him. Usually shoot him._

_Dante's chest throbbed in a reminder of earlier._

_"I'm going out today," Dante said, "I'll be back later." _

_"Got it," Nero mumbled, moving to put another pancake on the growing stack, "Patty! Breakfast!"_

Now, here it was, going on eleven at night and Dante was nowhere to be found. Nero wouldn't find this odd on a normal day. However today was...

The minutes ticked by and Nero, depressed and hurt, found himself going upstairs to his room. It was small, housing a bed and dresser. He kicked off his boots and laid on his bed, closing his eyes. _Did he forget...?_

Nero wasn't sure how much time had passed before he was shook awake by a strong hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened to find mirror blue eyes smiling back.

"Get up," Dante said, helping Nero sit up.

"...Where were you...?" the boy mumbled, rubbing his face. Dante didn't give an answer, going to the doorway.

"Come on, slowpoke," the elder teased. Nero grumbled and crawled to his feet, following Dante. As they neared the stairs, Dante's hands covered the boy's eyes, who emitted a stream of profanities.

"Dante! Let me go!"

"I can't. It's a surprise," Nero could hear the grin in Dante's voice and allowed himself to be led down the stairs.

At the bottom, the hands were removed from his eyes.

"Happy birthday, Nero~!" came the chorus. Lady, Trish, Patty, Morrison, Enzo, Berial, and Kyrie stood there, smiling. Nero blinked, happy and surprised, turning to Dante.

"You didn't think I forgot, did you?" Dante gave a cocky grin.

**I like it. Should I add on, or do more one-shots? I'm better and one shots, I think….**

**Don't worry, Whispers in the Dark is still going, subbers, I'm just fighting with the chapter is all.**


	2. Afterparty

**Well. One-shots. Popular they are O3o**

**Before The Darkness**

**O3o Here! Don't come kill me!**

**General Zargon**

**Well, I'll see what I can do about that. =w=**

**Sirena Loreley**

**Oh, darn. That's why I need a Beta reader/editor =w=**

**Anonymous(?)**

**Er, thanks? You left no name, I no know who you are.**

The party had been a nice change of pace for the shop, but now it was quiet and dark. Everyone had gone home and Dante and Nero were cleaning up.

"Hey, old man," Nero said as he was piling boxes into a trash bag.

"Yeah, _kid?_" Dante knew the name upset his young counterpart, and couldn't help but call him that. The blasted kid looked so cute when he was angry.

"…. Thanks," said kid called, "That was really…. Really nice of you."

"What can I say? I guess I'm not as bad a person as everyone makes me out to be."

Nero didn't give a snide response and Dante figured that the kid was truly grateful for the event.

Soon, the shop was cleaner than it had been when the party started, and as Dante took out the trash, Nero found himself, sitting on the couch, stretching out. He hadn't gotten any sleep, and it was now slipping into three AM. He was still rather surprised that Patty had stayed awake nearly the entire time.

Nero figured that he'd fallen asleep, since Dante was gently shaking him.

"Hey, kid, don't go to sleep yet. I have a gift for you too," the elder was saying. Nero swatted his hands away sleepily.

"Alcohol breath….. Lemme 'lone," Nero grumbled sleepily. He caught Dante's laughter and glared.

"Don't pass out," Dante warned. Nero grumbled, watching the elder retreat upstairs. When he took a little longer than Nero would have like to return, the youth let his eyes slide closed again, his chin slumping into his chest.

"Kid."

There was that incessant calling again.

Nero cracked an eye open to see Dante crouched in front of him, balancing a box in Nero's lap.

"Oh, so you are awake," the elder grinned.

"Y'know—" Nero started, but Dante pressed a finger to his lips.

"Just open the damn box."

The youth grumbled softly, but was really glad Dante had actually gotten him something. The box was small and wrapped in blue paper, a bright red bow on top. The youth looked to his elder curiously, and Dante only grinned.

Curiously, Nero tugged the paper from where it was taped down, grinning a bit when he saw Dante frown at that. Dante had encouraged Nero to rip open all his presents that night, but he never did.

So, it was met with a satisfied grin when Nero used his claws to shred the paper open.

Nero stared at the now brown box in his lap, curious.

"Dante?"

"Open it."

The youth obliged, tearing the box open with the claws from his Devil Bringer.

"…. A key?" he asked, pulling it from the box. It looked shiny an new, but was an old ornate key.

Dante nodded excitedly.

"…. Well…. What's it go to?"

"That, you have to figure out," the elder hunter said, going to stand. As he got to his feet, Nero saw the flash of a golden chain around Dante's neck.

"….Whats….?" he asked curiously, reaching up to tug it out from under the collar of Dante's black shirt. The chain felt heavy, but Nero soon pulled out a heart-shaped locket and looked up at Dante. The elder hunter never wore anything feminine. Unless….

Nero looked at the key, still clutched in his hand.

"…. Dante?"

The elder hunter leaned forward, capturing Nero's lips in a gentle kiss.

"Happy birthday, kid."

**That one was fun. =w=**


	3. Ura Omote Lovers

**I turn 18 the fifteenth. I'm depressed because of my family. The girl who I thought loved me doesn't seem to anymore, but I still love her. I want to watch Tiger and Bunny. Let's see what I can do to Dante and Nero to make myself feel better.**

_.:Uraomote Rabaazu:._

It had been nearly a week since Nero's birthday. And it would have been a lie to say anything had changed.

The younger hunter was stretched out on the couch in the Devil May Cry, rather enjoying the nap he was getting. Thankfully, it had been a slow day. The phone hadn't rang yet and it was drifting later into the afternoon.

While Nero was napping, Dante was growing frustrated. Yes, he had been playing nice. But, that was what annoyed him. Since that first kiss, he hadn't laid a hand on Nero. And why? Because Nero was happy with how things were.

Which pissed Dante off, really. Not to mention his inner demon was constantly snarling at him. And really, that did nothing to improve his mood.

So he sat at his desk, brooding as he watched the younger hunter sleep.

Still, as annoyed with Nero as he may have been, he couldn't deny the smile that crept onto his face as he caught sight of the key he'd given Nero. The boy had insisted on putting it on a chain and wearing it around his neck. He never let it out of his sight.

There was some comfort in that.

But not enough to cool his darker side. The feelings tearing through that side of him caused a shiver to prickle across his skin. The feral instincts begging him to give in were driving him mad and he was almost ready to put a bullet through his brain to silence them. Because, really, there was only so much he could take. So many raw emotions grating on his already frayed nerves.

So, he wasn't sure what possessed him to get up and walk over to the sleeping boy on his couch. He wasn't sure what possessed him to kneel at the boy's side. Wasn't sure what made his hand reach out and brush his fingers over the boy's pale skin.

And he thanked whatever God was out there when the phone rang.

He sprang up quickly and was already crossing the room to his desk by the time Nero sat up, groggily rubbing his face.

"Devil May Cry."

Dante needed his mind off this. Needed out of the shop. _Needed to be away from Nero._

He barely heard what the mission was when he agreed. He managed to jot down what he thought was the correct address before snatching up his equipment, locking Ebony and Ivory in their holsters. He took Rebellion in hand before crossing to the door, where he put down the broadsword and slid on his coat. Rebellion locked firmly to Dante's back, he pushed open the door.

"I'll be back," he told Nero, who was just getting to his feet, "Go back to sleep."

And the elder stepped out into the sun. He exhaled softly, relieved that being away calmed his devil as well, and started down the street, trying to see if he could recall any of the conversation with the client. There had been something about a skinning, which was odd; missing ribs, which was even more strange; and a deflated heart. The hunter didn't know what to make of it really. There were only two options. A killer with some sick fetish, or a demon.

A demon with a taste for humans. To be honest, Dante didn't know which he would have preferred at the moment. Sure, a fight would get out his frustration, but a human would have meant he could slide the case along to the authorities and get back to Nero.

He really was at war with himself.

But, really, it wasn't all that surprising. He had always been at war with himself. For as long as he could remember. It wasn't easy being a half-demon after all. Even harder being the son of the famed Sparda.

He did his best to push these thoughts from his mind as he drew nearer to the job site. This was no time to be lost within loathing and confusion. He had a job to do. If nothing else, he needed to keep the world safe for that stupid punk sleeping on his couch and clouding his thoughts.

(*)

All thoughts of that same punk were gone when Dante go to the location of the murder. To be honest, he hadn't been expecting what greeted him. The warehouse the victim was found in reeked of blood and Dante could smell the underlying stench of demon, that scent that seemed to plague him constantly more and more often than not.

The body itself shocked Dante more, however. He had heard of demons who feasted on humans before, but he'd never seen the remnants of the meal.

The red-clad hunter simply stared down at the body of a man, taking in the damage. Part of the man's throat was ripped out in a crescent shape, skin shredded from blunt teeth. The man's shirt was ripped in half, his chest exposed. Or what was left of it. A poorly shaped rectangle was missed from his skin, where his heart had been, exposing the cracked and broken ribs to the air. And the empty cavity that had housed his life.

The hunter had seen things more gruesome, yes, but still had to take a step back from what he saw, the scent of old blood washing over his senses, threatening to drown him. His devil began to claw at his insides, growing restless. He was starting to lose the shred of control he had over the beast when a voice spoke.

"There you are," the feminine voice giggled, "I wondered when you'd get here."

He managed to catch sight of the girl as she moved and sat herself right on the body, the broken ribs cracking in protest to her weight. She had startled the hunter. That made his demon rip at him harder.

Her looks disturbed him though.

Her white hair. The red eyes. It was obvious she wasn't human. Horns stood through her hair, black and sharp. There was a mask hanging off one, one eye hole punched out to dangle comfortably. She wore a frilled white shirt and black corset with red trim and a black pleated skirt, black boots reaching towards her knees.

The wings caught him off guard, small little things hanging mid-spin, and the tail, pure black.

"Am I to assume you did this?" Dante asked. And she laughed, a high sound like bells.

"Of course not," she said, examining her red nails, "It was my brother. He always leaves his mess behind for me to clean up."

She sprung to her feet then, and stood with her legs crossed as she bent towards him, her fingers folded under her chin. To anyone else at another time, it would have been seen as "cute". But not to Dante. Not now. Especially when he could see that tail flicking behind her in amusement.

"You're a hunter, huh? Oh! You must the one they called for him!" she giggled again and jumped. She flipped in the hair and hovered as if sitting, her wings fluttering madly, "How exciting! I wonder if he'll get a taste of you. I wonder how you taste."

Dante's fingers inched for his guns under his coat as she fluttered closer, looking him over, now mocking a lay in the air, analyzing him from eye-level.

"You look like us," she said, reaching out to pull a strand of his hair curiously, "I wonder why~!"

She leaned closer, closing her eyes as she sniffed, then blinked, "Oh! _That's_ why! You just _look_ like us. But, you _aren't_ like us! You're a funny one! I like you!"

Dante's demon was snarling. He could feel it. And he could feel his lips curl back as the sound escaped his throat. Ebony and Ivory were unleashed from their holsters, and the girl was met with twin barrels trained between her eyes.

"Look, chick. I don't really care who you are. Hell, I barely care who I am. I want to get this done and move on."

"Right!" she giggled madly again, her eyes shining copper red for a moment, "Mathius left before you got here. I don't know where he went."

She pulled back to sit again, giggling still.

This caused Dante to lower his prized weapons in confusion. How old was she? She looked like she was about 18 or 19, but her actions….

"Hey, chick. How old are you?"

She pouted and puffed out her chest, "Older than you! Next year, I'll be a century old!"

The human to demon age relation was so large. He had forgotten it. By their terms, she was still just a baby.

"Mathius is older though. He's an old man!" she giggled again.

By this point, Dante was looking for an out. If her brother, the killer, was older than her, who knew where he was. What he could do.

And Dante had a sinking feeling that this killing had been mild.

The girl was going on about her brother and Dante didn't really pay her any attention. She didn't seem to notice.

He went to the corpse, at least closing the man's eyes.

"He ate only the heart again," she sighed, "He's so picky."

That triggered something, "Again?"

"He eats people. Their hearts at least. He doesn't like the rest of them," she sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

Then, it dawned on him.

"…. So," he started casually, "You eat humans too?"

There was only a giggle in response.


	4. Crazy Clown

**Yes. I am using Vocaloid music as inspiration. "Two Face Lovers" Is the song, a male version that's really pretty. I'll post random bits of lyrics from it for each chapter, I think. Hopefully in order.**

_.:After I have woken up from my dream filled with nice and pleasant events,__  
><em>_my brain has been now completely taken over by this evasive entity called "love"__:._

He would never admit it honestly, but Nero would brood. He was good at it.

So, when Dante left, he had gone up to sit on the floor of the shower and brood. To sulk. _To think_.

Yeah, sure, he had liked that Dante was letting Nero control the relationship, but it wasn't what he really wanted.

The young hunter brought his knees up to his chest, and wrapping his arms around his legs, letting the spray wash over him. He wanted a loving relationship, but it felt like Dante was only distancing himself to make Nero happy. Which was ridiculous, really.

With a desponded sigh, Nero peeled his back from his forehead, then let out a huff. If Dante was going to be like that….

He turned his eyes to look at the key on the counter. His gift from Dante. Maybe it would have been better if he hadn't gotten it. Or maybe that was his demon speaking. Whispering words to influence him again.

With a frustrated growl, the youth shut off the water and stood, watching the water pool at his feet before rushing the drain. He blindly opened the door and snatched his towel, almost appreciating the way the plush material felt in the claws of his Bringer.

He wrapped himself and stepped out, once again gazing at the key sitting on the counter. Usually, he would put it on right away, but left it this time and stepped out, heading for his room to get dressed.

He had just finished dressing when he heard the shop's doors open. Dante was home then.

Nero paced out of his room and grabbed the key from the counter and stuffed it into his pocket and started downstairs. However, who he found wasn't Dante.

The kid in the living room had to be Nero's age, his pitch black hair falling down into his face, eyes hidden by dark glasses. He had two lip rings, and Nero thought he had to piercings on his cheek bone (which made him cringe). His shirt was white with "holy" written in what looked like red graffiti, and he had on a red vest. However, his pants were nearly identical to Dante's. Red jeans with chaps over them and the red boot covers. Nero felt his eyes narrow as the boy turned to him.

"So, I'm guessing Dante's not here," he said casually. Nero folded his arms over his chest.

"What do you want?" The youth could feel his demon reeling and snarling at the newcomer, the one who dare enter his den without his and his mate's consent. Then he mentally cringed at the wording.

"I'm looking for him," he with that damned casual tone and a shrug. Then, he looked over Nero, "However. I guess he's not here right now."

Nero had to repress a shiver as the black-haired boy licked his lips, as if Nero were food.

"No, he's not," the hunter said, "If you have business with him, come back later."

However, the boy paid no mind to that. He walked towards Nero, and the hunter took a step back, deciding that this guy had some serious problems. He stopped when Nero was backed into a wall and stood before him. His casual reach into Nero's pocket made the boy snarl, his lips pulling back over his teeth.

The boy only laughed, reaching up to pat Nero's cheek as he pulled the key from the hunter's pocket.

"Let's see what kind of fun I can have," suddenly the black haired-boy gave a wide grin and Nero saw a flash of red under his glasses.

"No, Wait!" Nero reached out to make a grab, but the boy had faded, leaving only a ghostly after-image of his grin, which vanished as Dante pushed the door open.

"Kid? What are you doing up?" the elder hunter asked as he pulled the broadsword from his back, crossing to his desk. Nero didn't give an answer, staring blankly at the spot before him.

The elder hunter figured his partner was mad for not letting him tag along, and set Rebellion by his desk before slipping his beloved trench coat off and hanging it on the coat rack behind him. He pulled Ebony and Ivory from their holsters and set them gently on his desk, then looked over at the youth.

"… Nero? You all right?"

"… I'm fine," the reply was muted and strained as the young slayer moved to sit on Dante's couch. The hunter shrugged, not really believing him, but didn't feel like pestering the boy with questions. He really didn't feel like getting shot; or anything else for that matter.

"How 'bout some pizza?"

"Not hungry."

"Nero—"

"I'm going out," the young hunter announced suddenly, going to grab his weapons from where he left them by the door, slinging on his jacket. This made Dante frowned. Had a call come in while he was out? He doubted it.

"Be careful," he offered as Nero pushed the door open. He got a haphazard wave as a response. The door shut and Dante was left alone in the office, looking up at the ceiling fan in disdain.

This was going to be a long day.

**I HAVE HAD THIS CHAPTER. FOREVER. HERE. HAVE AN UPDATE.**

**Also, for those of you who knew that girl I like? Yeah. I'm dating her now.**


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